Recycling

Littering is a pet peeve of mine. The first time I sat on a bus in Kenya and watched as a mother threw a plastic bag out of her window, my mouth literally fell open in shock. I was outraged! She was setting such a terrible example for her child. Then as the bus continued I saw a cow grazing in a ditch alongside the road full of trash. I then realized why this lady threw the bag outside the window, there is no trash collecting system and certainly no recycling. Had she kept the bag and disposed of it when she got off the bus, the trash would have been added to a similar outdoors pile where it would later be burned. Burning trash is the only method I saw for disposing of it in Africa. They burn everything, even plastic, which releases harmful toxins into the environment.

I know what you’re thinking, we don’t actually have a better method for dealing with trash in the U.S. Sure we have a trash system which encourages people not to litter. But at the end of the day our trash ends up in landfills that release methane gas which is also harmful for the environment. At least we have recycling as an option, even though many people choose not to do it.

What do we do about all of this trash? While in Africa I encourage you to minimize your waste. Bring a reusable water bottle (many places have filtered water you can fill up with) or a bottle with its own filter like the ​watertogo​ bottle. When you shop at the open air markets, bring your own cloth bag because otherwise the sellers will use a plastic bag for every item you purchase. Carry a tupperware so if you get some fries and cabbage at a street stand, you can have it put in a sturdy container instead of a flimsy plastic bag.

This is a little gross to talk about but for ladies on their period, I have news for you. You are not going to find tampons with applicator sticks while in Africa. I was grossed out at first by the prospect of using my finger to insert a tampon but then you remember that there is no good system to dispose of the applicator. I encourage you to keep hand sanitizer with you for these finger applicators and not to stock up on plastic applicators before your trip. Obviously the best thing would be to use a menstrual cup which would eliminate the bloody cotton waste as well. I personally love saving money and room in my bag by having this reusable cup.

I noticed this lack of recycling and trash disposal in every country I visited in Africa. You will occasionally find people collecting beer bottles because the company gives them their deposit back. For Westerners at first it will feel very shocking to watch people drop trash as they are walking. In our culture we are taught at a very young age not to litter. Sadly, that was never taught to the current adults in Africa and they are spreading their bad habits to the younger generation. If you go to Africa be vocal about the need to recycle. Especially if you teach or volunteer at a school, you can be the key to creating a generation that respects the environment.

It was especially horrifying while on the Tazara train that runs from Tanzania to Zambia. This train cuts through untamed wildlife and lush mountains. Everytime a passenger finishes a water bottle or a bag of food they then dump it out the window. Where the Tazara train runs, a trail of trash follows.

My last point is that I’d like to urge any environmental scientists out there to implement a recycling system in Africa. There is certainly a market for it, and it would do the continent a lot of good. Everything is packaged in plastic, if locals had a convenient way of recycling we could greatly improve our planet.